Players Championship Update After Day 1
Thursday is what has become a ‘typical’ start for a major tournament. The Players is not yet a Major, or is it? The golf establishment is pushing for all it’s worth and May is the only ‘high season’ month without a Major so….
Anyway, the leaders are all guys you expect won’t win. The top players, like Woods, Mickelson, Harrington and Ogilvy are around par leaving you suspecting that a couple of them will get it going today and end up being the ones to beat.
From the coverage on the Golf Channel, it looks like Tiger is striking the ball well BUT, he can’t putt. Tiger, not putt? Yes, I’m afraid so. Total length of putts he made was around 35 feet. That’s a total for all 18 holes. If I hadn’t hurd the statistic with my own ears I wouldn’t have believed it. To put that in perspective, Nick Faldo has the record at a little over 203 feet! While guys like Villegas were dropping 10 footers routinely, Tiger didn’t make any over 4 feet and he had many birdie chances inside 12 feet. Will today be his turning point?
Phil was Phil. He started like gangbusters and then began to find trouble everywhere, ultimately finishing over par. Harrington is in the middle of swing changes a la Faldo and Woods, shot par and will probably take a while longer before he has them all worked out. But, be assured, he will work them out. He’s one driven guy in his own quiet way.
Furyk is playing his consistently steady game. He’ll probably come up a few strokes short, but you never know. He will win a couple of times this year and most certainly will be at the upper end of the money winners list with his workman like top 10 finishes.
Villegas is getting more interesting each week. He’s passionate, but doesn’t go around throwing clubs or pumping his fist. You can tell he takes his game seriously and has been working diligently on every aspect. Don’t be surprised if you see him in the last group on Sunday. Anthony Kim is tremendously talented, but still in his ‘kid’ phase like Sergio was when he came on tour. He’s brilliant at times, but he still doesn’t get it.
Sergio? I just don’t know. He’s struggling to be sure, but still finished at one under with Tiger. If he doesn’t get it going today he won’t be a factor.
Bubba Watson is another interesting guy. He’s lost weight. Is that part of a conditioning regimen? He’s hitting the ball as long as ever. He can certainly work the ball left or right. Could his problem be that he works it too much? His putting is looking sharper. He looks hungry for a win, if not this week then soon.
Then there’s a bunch of newcomers and former winners lurking at the top of the leaderboard. Today’s results will give a much clearer picture of who’s playing well and who just had one day of success.
I’m enjoying The Golf Channel coverage. I guess they don’t read my column because they haven’t turned off the annoying background music. What’s with that anyway? It may be news to you guys, but the skateboard and gaming crowd are not your biggest audience.
I general I like The Golf Channel coverage, particularly commentary by Brandle Chamblee and Frank Nobilo. They’re intelligent, understand the game and the pro tour inside and out, provide honest insightful commentary, and don’t try to become the show. They are both good in analyzing players’ swings and what’s in their heads.
I admire Chamblee standing up and refusing to buckle on his opinion that the 17th is gimmicky. He said it best when he made the point that not one leading golf architect is planning on ever creating a par 3 surrounded by water. It’s theater in a major tournament, but so would be letting spectators throw water balloons. If we’re not careful, they will make pro golf a full body contact sport.
Related posts:
- Pro Golf Update
- U.S. Open Favorite
- Quail Hollow Championship Review
- Masters – Where’s the beef?
- Open Championship Online Shopping
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